אֹהֶל
𐤀𐤄𐤋
ʼôhel
H168 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A portable shelter made of fabric or animal skins, used as a dwelling. It denotes a tent in the context of nomadic life, familial habitation, or as a ritual or sacred structure. The term encompasses temporary or semi-permanent dwellings for individuals, families, or groups, and includes both ordinary tents of everyday use and specialized cultic or sacred tents such as the sanctuary tent ('Tent of Meeting'). In poetic and metaphorical usage, often signifies habitation, presence, or domain.
Semantic Range
tent, portable dwelling, household (figurative), the 'Tent of Meeting' (cultic/sanctuary tent), tabernacle (traditional English term), habitation, presence (metaphorical), home, place of dwelling
Root / Etymology
From the root אָהַל (ʼāhal), meaning 'to tent' or 'dwell in a tent.' The noun אֹהֶל (ʼôhel) is formed from this root and refers to the object of dwelling—the tent itself. The root emphasizes the notion of portable, nomadic dwelling as distinct from fixed, built structures.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term אֹהֶל is foundational for understanding nomadic and semi-nomadic life in ancient Israel and its neighbors. It occurs frequently in narratives concerning the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) who are portrayed as tent-dwellers, marking the transient lifestyle of early Israelite clans. In the later literary and ritual traditions, particularly in the Pentateuch, אֹהֶל refers to the 'Tent of Meeting' (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ʼôhel môʿēd), the portable sanctuary utilized during the wilderness period and understood as the locus of divine presence and communication. In poetic literature, and the prophets, אֹהֶל can be used metaphorically for household, familial line, or the presence/domain of a group. In the post-exilic period, the term invokes ancestral tradition and is also contrasted with established, stone, or permanent buildings (e.g., houses or temples). English translations generally render it as 'tent,' 'tabernacle,' or, figuratively, 'dwelling,' but modern readers should note that 'tabernacle' (in reference to the 'Tent of Meeting') is traditional and specific to later ritual interpretation. The distinction between אֹהֶל and related words (e.g., סֻכָּה sukkah, a temporary shelter or booth; חָנָה ḥanah, to pitch camp) reflects nuances in permanence, function, and ritual significance. In earlier biblical periods, 'tent' indicates not only physical dwelling but also broader notions of lineage and community.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָהַל; a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance); covering, (dwelling) (place), home, tabernacle, tent.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אהל (ʾ-h-l) — to tent, to dwell, to encamp
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H166 | אָהַל | he will cause to shine |
| H167 | אָהַל | and he pitched a tent |
| H169 | אֹהֶל | Ohel |
| H170 | אׇהֳלָה | Her Tent |
| H172 | אׇהֳלִיבָה | My Tent in Her |
Word Forms
52 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H168-42 |
אֹ֖הֶל | ohel | HNcmsa |
tent | portable tent-dwelling | 124 |
H168-16 |
בְּ/אֹ֥הֶל | beohel | HR/Ncmsc |
in the tent | in a tent | 41 |
H168-18 |
הָ/אֹ֖הֶל | haohel | HTd/Ncmsa |
the tent | the tent | 41 |
H168-29 |
לְ/אֹֽהָלָ֔י/ו | leohalayv | HR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms |
to his tents | to his tents | 12 |
H168-07 |
אָֽהֳל/וֹ֙ | aholo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his tent | his tent-dwelling | 11 |
H168-03 |
אָהֳלֵ֨י | aholey | HNcmpc |
tents of | tents of | 9 |
H168-32 |
לְ/אֹ֖הֶל | leohel | HR/Ncmsa |
for the tent | to a tent | 9 |
H168-19 |
הָ/אֹ֖הֱלָ/ה | haohelah | HTd/Ncmsa/Sd |
the tent | the tent | 8 |
H168-14 |
בְּ/אָהֳל֖/וֹ | beaholo | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
in his tent | in his tent | 7 |
H168-04 |
אָֽהֳלֵי/הֶ֔ם | aholeyhem | HNcmpc/Sp3mp |
their tents | their tents | 7 |
Occurrences in Scripture
348 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H168-42 |
Genesis 4:20 | אֹ֖הֶל | ohel | HNcmsa |
in tents | portable tent-dwelling |
H168-08 |
Genesis 9:21 | אָהֳלֹֽ/ה | aholoh | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his tent | his tent-dwelling |
H168-12 |
Genesis 9:27 | בְּ/אָֽהֳלֵי | beaholey | HR/Ncmpc |
in the tents of | in tents of |
H168-08 |
Genesis 12:8 | אָהֳלֹ֑/ה | aholoh | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his tent | his tent-dwelling |
H168-20 |
Genesis 13:3 | אהל/ה | hlh | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his tent | his tent |
H168-07 |
Genesis 13:3 | אָֽהֳל/וֹ֙ | aholo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his tent-dwelling | |
H168-51 |
Genesis 13:5 | וְ/אֹהָלִֽים | veohalim | HC/Ncmpa |
and tents | and tents |
H168-18 |
Genesis 18:1 | הָ/אֹ֖הֶל | haohel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the tent | the tent |
H168-18 |
Genesis 18:2 | הָ/אֹ֔הֶל | haohel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the tent | the tent |
H168-19 |
Genesis 18:6 | הָ/אֹ֖הֱלָ/ה | haohelah | HTd/Ncmsa/Sd |
the tent | the tent |